I rarely run short of reasons to be glad I married Bill. I may, at the same time, be so mad at him I can barely breathe, but the mad times come less frequently as we near our 25th wedding anniversary and when they do, they are short-lived. He really is a wonderful man and he’s so darned handsome. He’s also an amazing photographer, just ask any Spot On Images customer.

The 35mm vs The Disposable

By the time I met Bill, the Instamatic’s days were over and done with. The digital camera was breaking into the market, but they were pretty expensive, so this working girl couldn’t afford one. Most people were using some form of a 35mm, but not me. I had a hard time finding film for my Instamatic, but I had discovered the disposable camera and that worked well enough for me.

Enter Bill with his fancy Canon Rebel. By then he was already pretty darned good at photography. He’d had some lessons and was fairly serious about the medium. My disposable cameras probably made him a little crazy, but he was trying to romance me, so he left me to my point and shoot bliss.

Well he almost left me alone. He gently began to introduce me to 35mm. Not only did he think disposable cameras were a waste of money, he rightly pointed out the poor quality of the results and coerced me into giving his camera a try. I guess here’s as good a place as any to admit he not only introduced me to 35mm photography, he also made me learn how to use a mouse and had me sign up for my first personal email address. In other words, he brought me into the 20th Century, which was already on it’s way out.

Where’s the Auto Button?

His first attempts at turning me into a real photographer were not so good. He was all about F-stops and exposure. All he could get me to do was use the Auto Button. Twenty-five years later, I’m still all about the Auto Button, but I do appreciate what he is able to do with a camera.

About this time he also decided to get a camcorder. Video cameras were this huge thing you had to carry around on your shoulder and there was no sound. Over time the cameras shrank and they figured out how to include sound. Bill entered the market when Hi8 was all the rage. If he had thought it was tough getting me to use a 35mm still camera, he quickly realized that was nothing compared to getting me to hold the camcorder.

That sneaky guy bought the camcorder into time capture his proposal – quite a treasure. His plan was to get me up to speed on the 35mm, so he could be the videographer. What happened was he ended up being the primary cameraman, regardless of the media, and I filled in when he forced me to. Thanks to him we have a marvelous record of our early years together – yeah Mr. Bill!

There’s more to tell you about our photographic history together, so come on back next week!